


Made For You

by TheIronDragon10



Category: Killing Eve (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, From HS to college to [redacted], I am soft for lesbian shenanigans and I will not apologize for it, Idiots in Love, Loosely based on a Jake Owen song, Useless Lesbians, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:00:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22281490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheIronDragon10/pseuds/TheIronDragon10
Summary: Loosely based on Jake Owen's song 'Made for You'.Snipets of Villanelle and Eve falling in love from High School, through college and up to a greater adventure.OrThe 'No Murders and all fluff' Killing Eve AU nobody asked for but I decided to write anyways
Relationships: Eve Polastri/Villanelle | Oksana Astankova, Konstantin Vasiliev & Villanelle | Oksana Astankova
Comments: 55
Kudos: 198





	1. Falling Leaves Are Made For Fallin' In

**Author's Note:**

> I've been itching to write a Killing Eve story for a while, so this is a happy marriage between my tenuous relationship with my writing muse and my status as 'country music trash'.
> 
> Starts in their Junior year of High School (I am also American trash so this is loosely based on an American education system/set in a small town somewhere North East)

**Fallen Leaves Are Made for Fallin’ In**

Some buildings in the world had an energy that could sap all the fun out of life. Normally, it was only people who could do that for Villanelle. But this school, here, was just like old Mrs. Mashkov back home, who would only talk about her cats and her long-dead husband. So, really, could they blame her for needing a bit of fun? Sure, they could call it vandalism all they want, but it was better than spending every minute sitting in a desk praying for the sweet release of death (or the bell, whichever came first).

“Looking forward to that budget report then Miss Park, Mister Polastri”

Just then Villanelle decided to look up at her executioner, and instead ended up staring into gorgeous brown eyes framed by the wildest curls. Of course she would run into _her_. Suddenly she remembered, this building wasn’t the most boring place on earth, but the small world of possibilities that let her live in the same place as _her_. 

“Miss Astankova!” Principal Martens said with amusement. Clearly she’d been trying to get her attention for a while, but she may as well have been screaming at a wall “Back to earth?”

“back to hell” whispered Villanelle, her accent lilting softly. 

Eve couldn’t help but laugh a bit. She’d seen Oksana around (who insisted everyone call her Villanelle, which Eve vehemently refused on principle and to be a pain in her smug ass), they shared a couple of classes but clearly the girl was a troublemaker and Eve was far too preoccupied with her responsibilities around the school to bother much with her. Or so Niko and their friends would tell her. When principal Martens would come looking for Oksana, who was always getting in trouble, Eve couldn’t help but wonder, and yearn for how the other girl lived. Without responsibilities. Carefree. _Free_. 

“that will be all for today Miss Park” 

“of course, thank you for your time Mrs. Martens. Let’s go Niko” Eve murmured as she pushed her lanky friend through the hallway, trying to get away before principal Martens remembered any more responsibilities she had to drop on them. Honestly, the title of _President of The Academic Honor Society_ was sometimes not worth the effort, no matter how nice it made her college applications look. 

“see you later Eve” Villanelle said, a knowing smirk gracing her features. She was back in control of her senses and, well, she couldn’t help but try to rattle Eve “Goodie-two-shoes” Park. 

Niko frowned at Villanelle’s retreating back. He wasn’t her biggest fan. She was a troublemaker through and through, and he didn’t have time for her shenanigans—with him graduating this year he had to make sure she stayed well away from Eve and didn’t derail her when he was gone. They had worked too hard since they met to let her interfere with their carefully laid out plans.

Granted, Villanelle didn’t like him much either, and that was alright in his book. He could do without the nicknames though (Eve had told him the mustache made him look distinguished, Villanelle got the graduating class to for him as ‘ _most likely to be in a bad 80s porn_ '. He’d kept it to save face). 

“so, how are the kids Carolyn?” the door to the principal’s office slammed closed as Eve caught a glimpse of Villanelle’s shoes thudding on the desk. That girl was trouble wrapped in a blanket of asshole. 

**-KE-**

What was really inexplicable, was why Eve would turn back to the office 10 minutes later, knowing full well that Villanelle would be coming out of there with a detention slip and a self-satisfied smirk on her face. She was drawn like a moth to a flame, not that she would admit that to anyone. She was here with a good cover story, trying to return the keys to a secluded room no one except the honors society would ever use, keys no one would probably miss. It was a very important task.

“Aw Eve, see how you care. I’m in good hands Carolyn, don’t you worry yourself”

“please” Eve huffed, putting on her best exasperated attitude. 

“oh Eve, we know you like a _bad girl_ ” Villanelle purposefully ignored the adult in the room, mainly to mortify Eve. Though part of her really wanted to catch a glimpse of guilty admission, a little something that would give Eve away. 

“even if I did”

**_I will not blush, I will not blush, I will NOT blush._ **

"I could do better than the minor vandalism you do. My standards are much too high for the likes of you, _Oksana_ ”

And there it was. The bright red flush of Eve’s attitude. Her steadfast refusal to call her Villanelle with a touch of admiration and maybe fear like everyone else in this place. Eve was interesting. She was fun. She was a pain in the neck, as many would say about Villanelle herself. Really, who else was she meant to be drawn to in this hell scape? The lanky, well-meaning, porn mustache sad sack that gravitated around Eve? Perhaps their Niko obsessed English-lit prodigy friend, Gemma? Or maybe that dorky guy Bill, who Villanelle had thought about shoving into a locker for the fun of it? No, they wouldn’t do. 

But here she was, her interesting, well rounded, snarky counterpart. Who got straight As but clearly yearned for the day she could tell Mr. Walters to shove his “Asians are math geniuses” stereotype up his ass, because Eve needed tutoring for this stupid class and **_who needed to know how to solve for a polynomial in the real world, Niko_**. Who was dropping off keys to an unused little nook in this behemoth building, keys that nobody would miss, instead of realizing that the same set opened every room in here and could lead to a world of possibilities? And she was calling Villanelle an element too low in her standards?. She’d show her minor vandalism. 

“we’ll see” Villanelle said, still smiling at Eve, like she was in on a secret. And maybe she was? Who was to know with her. 

“now, miss Astankova, you’d do well remembering that…”

“yes yes, I know” Villanelle stood straight, her expression turning dower and serious “ _Shenanigans_ and _tomfoolery_ will not be tolerated in this school” and just like that her pose dropped to uncaring and her face back to her usual expression, the girl would make a wonderful actress if she really tried “Same time next week?”

“ ** _Villanelle_** ” Principal Martens used her serious voice this time. Making sure to stare straight into Villanelle's eyes to really drive the point home. 

“okay, okay, I was just joking” with her arms raised and her shoulders shrugged, she walked backwards down the hallway, keeping Eve and principal Martens in her sight, making sure they saw her acting innocently "I'll be good". 

“that girl, honestly” principal Martens sighed, shaking her head at Villanelle’s antics. She really wasn’t paid enough to deal with this “did you forget something earlier, Miss Parks?”

Eve did a quick check of herself, discreetly looking for those keys she used as an excuse. Schooling her expression when she realized they weren’t there anymore. Thank God no one would miss them. 

“no ma’am. Just, checking if Niko left his car keys here is all”

“very well. Carry on” 

**-KE-**

Funny how the world works. Eve really hadn’t been looking for Niko’s car keys. But they did get lost. Or _temporarily misplaced_ as Niko put it, because he refused to admit he'd actually lost them somewhere. 

They were supposed to have left hours ago, but Niko was steadfast that he would not break into his own car, thank you very much, unless they had searched every inch of the building.

And search they had, and find them they didn’t. So, bundled up with their jackets and scarves to try and fight off the autumn chill, they stepped out into the student parking-lot with a coat hanger in hand ready to break into Niko’s old, trusty Buick. 

After hours of hunting for his keys, they turned up in an envelope waiting on his windshield, swoopy handwriting on it that simply said _Eve_ on the front. It’d be a while before Niko shook himself off to grab it though. Not because it was cold. It was more the shock and disbelief of seeing the inside of his car stuffed with orange, brown, and red leaves, the odd stick, and some acorns. Eve even wondered if a squirrel would pop up to wave at them. 

The envelope had 2 sets of keys in it. One, was Niko’s car keys with a little post it attached that said ‘ _One really should leave one's keys laying around_ ’.

The other keys were the ones Eve had been trying to return, those had a note that asked ‘ _Is this enough vandalism and juvenile delinquency for you? -V_ ’

And just like that, Eve realized she was in big trouble. 


	2. Summer Jobs Are Made For Spendin' Cash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! Thank you so much for the awesome response to Chapter 1. Hopefully CH 2 won't disappoint. Turns out, I really like writing this fic? I did get inspired at an ungodly hour, but what can ya do *shrugs*. 
> 
> Anyways, thank you all for tuning in, and I'll see you next time. Enjoy! I appreciate comments, kudos, pterodactyl screeches, carrier pigeon notes and I'll accept smoke signs but only at high noon.

**Summer Jobs Are Made For Spendin' Cash**

_ Ring-Ding-Ding _

Eve was going to snap any day now. 

This seemed like such a good idea a few weeks ago. An easy way to get spending money for this summer. She might even put some away to buy herself those little things her parents would never get her. 

_ Ring-Ding-Ding _

But now? Eve was developing a Palvalovian reaction to the annoying sound of the bells that Mr. Zimmerman had put over the door. Though instead of salivating, she would begin to lose her tenuous grip on her sanity and would start wondering how hard she'd have to hit her head on the counter to justify never coming back to work. 

_ Ring-Ding-Ding _

What's worst, is that Mr. Zimmerman's pharmacy happened to be right across the street from Mr. Vasiliev's repair garage. At any other time, she really wouldn't bat an eye at Mr. Vasiliev or his shop. The man was nice enough, he was always polite, he kept to himself and always left a tip in the jar when he would come in. But now? Now, it mattered that this little pharmacy her dad made her work at every summer was across the street from Mr. Vasiliev, since that meant Eve was working right across the street from  _ her _ . 

_ Ring-Ding-Ding _

And of course it was her luck that Mr. Vasiliev would be related to  _ her _ . 

"Good morning, Eve" Villanelle said in her most chipper voice, her accent wrapping itself around every syllable, more pointedly than usual. Could she know that Eve would be preemptively pissed off today? Eve wouldn't put it past her.

"Hello Oksana" 

Villanelle's face fell for just a second, it was so brief that Eve wondered if she imagined it, and then her obnoxious smirk and shiny glint to her eyes was back. 

"It's really a pity that old Bob has you working so early" Villanelle's voice is full of mockery. She knows that small talk drives Eve crazy, she's seen her lose her grip on that calm façade everytime any little old lady says those exact same words to her. Just like she knows that Eve looks forward to seeing her every morning, because it's the only fun she's going to have in here. 

"I wouldn't be working so early if you didn't come in at this hour" Eve said through gritted teeth, the sentence she wishes she could say to those little old ladies who enjoyed driving her crazy. 

"especially to buy… a  _ single  _ band-aid and a can of Coke. Seriously!?" Eve's voice takes a trip, from low and murmured to high pitch and annoyed. A few hours later she'll be mortified at how close to super-sonic she must have gotten. 

Villanelle though, is still smiling at her. 

"well, I'm thirsty. Coke is good for that" 

"it's 8 in the morning!" Eve thumps her hand on the counter, and Villanelle tilts her head with amusement "and a  _ single  _ band-aid. Are you serious!?" 

"well I only hurt myself in one place, see" Villanelle raises her hand to show Eve a bleeding cut on her finger "if I bought a box, I'd be begging to hurt myself more. So, one" 

Eve stared at her with narrowed eyes, wondering if Oksana was being serious, or if she was messing with her. 

"you've done this everyday since I started working here" Eve said, her voice annoyed and filled with skepticism. 

"I am very clumsy Eve, and it's hot out, so I need these things everyday. You should know this" Villanelle answers nonchalantly, her hand waving in the general direction of the garage across the street, and the bright summer sun. 

Eve's eyes don't leave her, but Oksana holds fast. Maybe she really is being honest, or not, either way she can't tell. 

"fine" 

Villanelle slides a bill across the counter, her unassuming and bright smile still giving nothing away. Villanelle waves off the change, slowly taking her  _ single _ band-aid and can of Coke off the counter, keeping her eyes on Eve. 

"until tomorrow then, Eve" 

"hopefully not, Oksana" 

_ Ring-Ding-Ding _

With Oksana casually Jaywalking back to work, Eve takes a deep breath and steels herself for a full day of boredom, now her morning entertainment is over. Anyways, she only has—she glances at her phone on the counter—five more hours to go. 

_ Ring-Ding-Ding _

- **KE** -

The next morning, Eve is ready for Oksana to cross that door, jingling the damn bells and preemptively annoying her, bright smile and chipper good morning in her lilting accent. She did have five dull hours of work yesterday to plan for this. She'd start by calling her Oksana, since she knew that would throw her off like it did everyday, and then she had a perfect comeback for her  _ single _ band-aid and can of Coke. It was going to be fun. It was always fun. 

_ Ring-Ding-Ding _

"well" Eve said, voice dripping with boredom, not even bothering to look up from her phone or swivel her seat towards the door "if it isn't—" 

"Good morning, Eve" this time, the Russian accent was less lilting. It was a harsher more gravelly voice, though it was still dipped in amusement "you seem very  _ chipper _ today" the man made sure to really push the word  _ chipper _ , it sounded strange. 

Eve stares at Mr. Vasiliev for a minute, eyes wide, unable to come up with anything to say. 

"okay. I'm guessing you expected my niece?" 

"No!" she was, but the thought that it would actually get back to her? Mortifying. Eve wouldn't even entertain it. Even if she tripped over her words to prevent it. "I mean, uh, no sir. Good morning, Mr. Vasiliev. I was just—" 

"Mr. Vasiliev is an old grouch with a bad temper who lives in a small wooden cabin in Russia. I'm just Konstantin" his voice is slightly muffled by the racks he's standing behind "the old Vasiliev grouch that lives in America" 

"right. I, uh, sorry" Eve shakes herself out of her shock, in time to notice the liter of Coke and the box of band-aids "that all?" 

"yes. Villanelle—" he huffs her name fondly "keeps buying me these little cans and coming back with a  _ single _ band-aid everyday, can you believe it?" she can "but she's always been strange. What do I owe you?" 

Eve's brain works on autopilot. Why would Villanelle—yes, she's started thinking of her as Villanelle and that's a can of worms that will need opening at a different time—come in everyday if what she was buying (in single quantities and probably to ridiculous unjustifiable expense for what it was) wasn't even for her? And why would she suddenly stop coming in, after making it for every one of Eve's shifts?. 

She bags the bottle of soda and the box of Band-aids, which Mr. Vasili-no, Konstantin-waves off. She tries to hand him back his change, and just like Villanelle yesterday, he waves her off. 

"oh, I almost forgot" Konstantin's voice jolts Eve out of her stupor. 

He pats himself down, muttering in what Eve assumes is Russian, and a few seconds later pulls out a neon green post-it note. 

"Villanelle asked me to give you this" 

Eve looks down at his hand, and gingerly takes the note. Konstantin nods at her, and says his goodbyes. 

Suddenly Eve is very interested in the door. She ignores the ringing of the little annoying bells in favor of looking through the glass, across the street, where Konstantin tosses the box at Villanelle. 

Maybe she won't be coming by today? 

_ Ring-Ding-Ding _

Eve mutters a greeting to Mrs. Williams when she crosses the door. Already trying to build her wall of  _ bullshit talk _ resistance for her daily 'oh this stuff gets more expensive everyday, huh' shtick. Eve looks to the shop across the street, spotting Villanelle who's walking with Konstantin, both waving their hands around as they look at the undercarriage of a beat up truck. 

The note in her hand has the swoopy handwriting that Eve has come to associate with the only person she knows would buy a  _ single _ band-aid. And, honestly, this is about the kind of tomfoolery she's come to expect from her. She won't admit it for a while, but Eve is pretty charmed. 

_ Only five more hours to go.  _

_ Wanna go out after? - V _

_ Ring-Ding-Ding _

  
  
  
  



	3. Second Dates are Made for Going Fast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! I am super sorry about the whole hiatus, COVID-19 and online classes kicked my ass. BUT I officially handed in the very last final I'll ever write as an undergrad, so I am free to indulge in the wonderful world of fanfiction. As always, thank you for the kudos, comments, and the awesome people who've reached out on tumblr about this fic. I appreciate y'all very much! Now, on with the show.

**Second Dates are Made for Going Fast**

Since she was a child, Villanelle’s parents would always tell her that she was terrible at paying attention. Her mama would always say that she’d be lucky to find a man who liked the sound of his own voice, and when she came out to her parents, her father tried to teach her the tricks to looking like she was listening, in case a pretty girl caught her eye. 

Now, here in the States, Villanelle decided to throw out any pretenses that she cared or listened to anything she didn’t care for. Konstantin had quickly gotten used to speaking into the Abyss when Villanelle sits next to him, since she’s never actually listening. This time though, she might have to, since her dear uncle just won’t drop it. 

“All I’m saying” Konstantin’s voice hiked up as he shrugged his shoulders, keeping an eye on the road as he spoke “is that you lose nothing by calling her”

“You didn’t go on that date” Villanelle said “it was a disaster” her eyes moved around aimlessly, not really looking at any of the cars or buildings they were driving past “with any luck, Eve will avoid me until the end of the year, we will go away for college, and we can forget any of this ever happened”

“Always so dramatic”

The conversation quickly devolved to teasing, and then increasingly elaborate insults in Russian, which eventually turned into laughter and quiet mockery. When he wasn’t being nosy, Konstantin was one of Villanelle’s favorite people in the world, not that she would ever tell him that. He could tell her what he really thought about her teenage predicaments, and she appreciated his blunt honesty. It was a breath of fresh air. 

By the time they reached home, both Konstantin and Villanelle were in their own worlds. Incidentally this helped them ignore the strange car in their driveway, at least until Konstantin nearly crashed into it. 

“Who the f--.”

“...Eve”

“Oh, oh this is golden” 

Villanelle scoffed at Konstantin’s child like glee. Really the universe wasn’t fair. 

The little cooper in front of them was indistinguishable. Really, Eve would be the only person in this damn town to drive the periwinkle monstrosity. Villanelle turned to look at Konstantin, his knowing smirk almost saying ‘I planned this’ even though they both knew he had nothing to do with it. 

“Well, well, well”

“Shut up”

Villanelle rolled her eyes and hopped off the truck, walking so slowly towards the car one would think she was an inmate on death row walking to the chair. Eve, who is staring at her phone, occasionally tapping furiously at the screen, pays her no mind.  _ I can do this _ , was the ongoing mantra in Villanelle’s head--though on reaching the car she could not for the life of her get any words out. Instead, deciding to clear her throat, loudly, scaring the crap out of Eve, who snapped her head up, the hair tucked behind her ear slipping free.  _ Good going V.  _

“Hey, I didn’t hear you get home”

“Yeah I uh--we, just got home” Villanelle scrunched her eyes, frankly hating herself a bit for not being able to keep her cool around Eve. She opened her eyes enough to see Konstantin giving her an exaggerated thumbs up, and then tip-toeing (which did  _ not _ look at all flattering for the big hulking man) towards the house.  _ Not like Eve would even notice him _ .

“Not to be rude, but uh, why are you here?”

“Well” Eve’s hands twirled her phone around, trying to keep herself grounded “I realized, if I waited for you to call me, I’d be waiting forever”

“I---call---you?”

“Eloquent V, just what a girl wants” Eve’s sarcastic tone only helped make Villanelle more nervous. Honestly, at any other time she would be more ashamed of herself. 

“Shut up” she murmured, the tip of her ears turning bright read “I figured you didn’t want me to call you”

“Why would you think that?”

Villanelle snapped her head up, looking at Eve incredulously. She doesn’t say a word, but her look of ‘were you even there?’ is enough. Instead of a solemn nod and a quiet retreat, however, Eve chuckles. 

“I had fun!” Villanelle rolls her eyes at Eve’s eager voice, but she smirks and tips her head slowly, making sure Villanelle knew she was being serious “I did! Although, I wish I hadn’t gone home wearing my milkshake but--”

“I said I was sorry!” 

“You did. And now I’m telling you, I had fun”

Eve’s hand reaches out slowly, like one would a spooked animal, inching to intertwine their fingers. Someone here had to be brave. Villanelle’s green eyes met Eve’s, and she realized that Eve is actually being honest, leaving her at a bit of a loss.

“You...had fun?”

“That’s what I said”

“And, you want to...do it again?

“Without the milkshake” Eve says softly, trying to lighten the mood “but yes”

“Right”

“So, would you like a second chance at a first impression?”

Villanelle opens her mouth, something clever on the tip of her tongue. But she thinks better of it, Eve is here handing her a lifeline, and she’s going to take it with both hands. Her mouth snaps close and she nods, so fast that Eve actually thinks she might hurt herself if she doesn’t stop soon.

“Great” Eve hops off the hood of her car, quickly invading Villanelle’s personal space. Not that she minds, really “I’ll see you later tonight”

“Yes, tonight”

Inside her own head, Villanelle is thoroughly mortified. She prides herself in her effortless confidence, being this tongue tied is new for her and she doesn’t know if she likes it. But Eve seems to find it endearing, and if looking and acting like the village idiot will get her brownie points with the gorgeous girl she spilled a milkshake on, honestly who is she to argue?

Eve stands on the tip of her toes and drops a kiss on V’s cheek--this time they both blush. 

“I’ll pick you up at seven?” This time, it's Villanelle who takes the brave step. And Eve’s smile could outshine the sun, and Villanelle figures that they will be alright. She seems to have gotten her groove back.

“Works for me”

“Great” Villanelle’s voice is soft and breathy, filling the small pocket of air left by what little space there is between their faces “see you then”

“Okay”

Their tender moment is interrupted by the sound of a window snapping close in the house. Her relatives are fast, but not fast enough for Villanelle and Eve to miss Konstantin trying to duck out of the line of sight, or Irina snapping the blinds closed in the other window. Eve chuckles, letting go of Villanelle’s hand. They don’t know which one did the sweating, but both figure they’re allowed some nervousness. 

“I hope the audience enjoyed the show?”

“It’s good entertainment before I kill them” Villanelle’s sour expression makes Eve laugh, and she can’t help the smile that lights up her face. She’s done more smiling in the past five minutes than she has in her whole life, and it’s kind of embarrassing “I’ll see you in a while then?”

“Looking forward to it”

Villanelle walks toward her house, carefully counting her steps to avoid tripping and looking like an idiot in front of Eve, again. It’s not until the door closes behind her that she drops her shoulders, rolling them to release the tension.

“Told you so” Konstantin says in a gruff sing-song voice.

“I hate you”

From the next room, Irina chuckles, and then begins lamenting that Villanelle would fall for this whole relationship scam. She really thought both of them were smarter than this. Elizabeta, who kept mum about this whole thing to her niece, makes sure to remind Konstantin that she’s the one who called it, and he’s not allowed to take credit for her predictions. In the middle of the madness, Villanelle’s phone chirps with a text notification. 

All three turn to stare at Villanelle, whose phone is grasped tightly in her hand, her ears turning beet red once again.

_ Less milkshakes, more kissing? _

__ __ __ _ -E _

Villanelle can’t help the smile that takes over her face again, even as her family tries to get a glimpse at her phone, teasing her loudly about her blush. Her hand reaches up to her cheek, where Eve had dropped a kiss earlier. Maybe she really hadn’t screwed it all up after all. 

  
  



	4. Early Curfew are Made For Sneakin' Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey dudes! I think the writing muse is with me again, so have a new chapter as a treat!  
> Thank you so much for the awesome response to my writing guys, I really appreciate it. Now, on with the update!

**Early Curfew are Made For Sneakin' Past**

Eve's dad thought of himself as a really chill guy, a really "cool with the kids" kind of father, though his daughter often thought otherwise. 

But even the coolest of all dads would lose their marbles with Eve's girlfriend, Villanelle. Like, don't get him wrong, she's polite enough, she's very smart, and she helped him fix his car and change the oil one afternoon. Honestly she's pretty great, and clearly his daughter thinks the world of her. 

Daniel Park really likes Villanelle, except the girl doesn't seem to understand the concept of curfews. The first few times they're late, Mr. And Mrs. Park let it go. They're young, enjoying their summer, lost track of time.

Eventually though, it gets ridiculous. Eve begins showing up 10, 15, 30 minutes late, and Mr. Park has it with his "cool dad" image and has to put his foot down. 

Curfew is curfew, and if Villanelle wants to keep dating his daugher, she's going to have to learn to play by the rules.

The unintended consequence? The entire neighborhood can hear when Villanelle and Eve are cutting it close. At 3pm, the sports engine is only slightly out of place in the quiet streets. At 10:59pm as it's wheels screech down the curb, peeling down the quiet streets so loudly that he knows he'll find tire tracks on the asphalt in the morning, not quite so. 

The bright lights of Villanelle's car light up the Parks' living room as the girls pull up to the house. Sandra and Daniel Park look at eachother with every part exasperated and humored. They hear the familiar cacophony of Eve slamming the car door closed, Villanelle screeching loudly about Eve mistreating her baby, and Eve cooing at her girlfriend sarcastically as they climb the porch steps. 

What is new, is that the door doesn't fly open, Villanelle loudly congratulating herself about getting Eve home in time. It's suspiciously quiet. 

"did I just imagine they got here?" 

"I don't think so" Mr. Park says, getting up slowly from his seat "you think she forgot her keys?" 

"That's not like Eve, Dan" Mrs. Park mutes the TV, hoping to get a glimpse of the noise outside "you hear that?" 

Mr. Park tilts his head towards the door, catching onto what his wife heard—boot scuffs on the porch. 

Quickly, he rushes towards the door, afraid someone may have been waiting for the girls to get home. He grabs the bat they keep by the door—one day he might gloat about it finally being of use—and swings the door open, ready to pummel the intruder into the next world. 

Instead, he has to jump back when his daughter topples down like a tree, Villanelle toppling down with her, probably because Eve's leg is wrapped around Villanelle's waist. 

"Eve!" 

"Dad!" 

"ouch" 

Mr. Parked dropped the bat and kneeled down to make sure Eve didn’t hurt herself. Villanelle, now kneeling between Eve’s legs, is trying to do the same.

“Stop--Stop it! I’m fine” Eve bats their hands away, reaching behind her head rubbing at the sore spot that would probably turn into a bump “help me up”

Daniel took a step back as Villanelle took his daughter’s hands and helped her stand. Mr. Park is almost distracted from what just happened by watching Villanelle fuzz over his daughter, and Eve’s attempts at getting her to stop.  _ Almost _ . Because his wife behind him clears her throat, one eyebrow raised, looking thoroughly unimpressed. 

“Hey, good evening Mrs. P”

“How nice of you to drop by on time, Oksana”

Villanelle visibly flinches and Daniel has to disguise his laughter as a cough. Mainly because if his wife is out for blood, he’d like to do his best to stay on her good side. 

“Eve, say goodnight”

Eve, thankful that her back is to her mom, rolls her eyes with a smirk. Villanelle smiles at her, a bit love-struck, eyes shiny. 

“Thank you for appreciating my efforts Mrs. P” Villanelle flasher a dazzling smile, knowing that Mrs. Park can’t help be charmed “Mr. P, thank you for the gravity lesson. It’ll come in handy for my physics test”

“Goodnight Villanelle” Sandra rolls her eyes at her daughter’s girlfriend, lightly pushing her out the door as her goodbyes got more ridiculous, with a smile on her face “Go to bed Eve. God knows she will be back at the crack of dawn”

_ Oh, if only you knew _ , Eve thought to herself. 

- _ KE- _

“Your mama loves me” Villanelle says as she drops on the bed

“Shhhh!” Eve shushes her quietly, trying to look out her door, making sure her parents are in bed. Hopefully they are still oblivious to Villanelle being in her room, despite the ruckus of her trying to sneak in up the tree and through the window “why are you so loud?”

“Oh!?” Villanelle puts her hand to her chest “I’m the loud one!?”

“V. Shut up” Eve whispers as she sticks her fluffiest rug under the crack under the door. Her parents would probably kill her if the door was locked, but they’d bring it down to manslaughter if they realized her door was just being slowed down by the door. 

“C’mere and love me, I just climbed a tree” Villanelle, now under the covers, makes grabby hands at her with a pout on her face.

“You’re an idiot” Eve answers, but she smiles at her girlfriend and dutifully scoots up the bed to tuck her head on her chest.

- _ KE- _

Eve is startled awake by a loud knock at her door and her dad’s booming voice telling her that breakfast is ready. She blinks slowly, and then realizes that her dad is probably a few minutes from barging through her door and...wait.

“Where the hell?” 

Eve rubs her eyes with the heels of her palms and realizes that there’s no sign of Villanelle ever being in her room, except for the unlocked window latch.

“Eve, hurry up. Villanelle is here!”

Still sleepy, Eve takes a minute to register what her mom hollered from the kitchen. How did Villanelle…

Eve’s phone chirps from her bedside with a text from her aforementioned girlfriend.

_ ‘Better than our night at my place, hmm? _

__ __ __ _ -V’ _

And that is a hilarious understatement to start her day with. The only time Eve managed to sneak out of her house and to Villanelle they had been startled awake, though very differently.

- _ KE _ -

_ Eve woke up wrapped in Villanelle’s arms, feeling warm and content. She didn’t really understand why she’d woken up, though. Judging by the light coming through the windows, it must have been four or five in the morning, and the room was very quiet--if one could ignore Villanelle’s soft snores.  _

_ But Eve had felt it, it was almost like someone or something had been looking at her.  _

_ “How do you take your coffee?” A gruff voice asked from the door. _

_ Eve is not even slightly ashamed to admit that she screams and jumps at least three feet in the air. This startles Villanelle awake, leading her to fall off the bed, on her ass, and right at her uncle’s feet. _

_ “What. The. Fuck?!” Villanelle utters, her voice rough with sleep, really emphasizing her accent. _

_ Konstantin smirks at his niece and her startled girlfriend, more than proud of himself for scaring the bejesus out of them. _

_ “SO” his smile is broad and his eyes bright with amusement “Coffee?” _

_ -KE- _

Eve is startled again by another text chirp

_ ‘So...Coffee? _

__ __ __ _ -V’ _

One day, Eve will appreciate the family tomfoolery she walked herself into, eyes wide open. Her dad knocks on her door again, final warning. She texts Villanelle back a string of emojis as she heads towards the shower. There really isn’t a slow day with her. 

  
  
  
  



	5. 2AM Was Made For Pissed Off Dads

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! Thanks for the awesome response for the last chapter, both here and on tumblr. Big time apologies for this taking so long! This one is a bit more emotional, more jumping all over the place, and a lot more bittersweet, way more inner dialogue. 
> 
> Also, the American in me came out. SAT's and AP exams veterans represent! (Also the frustrated dream of Harvard? A bit? Someone take a wild guess what school Villanelle picked--if someone nails it you're allowed to pick her major lol).
> 
> No Beta, all mistakes are mine. Hope every one is staying safe, and now on with the chapter!

**2AM Was Made For Pissed Off Dads**

Eve rapped her knuckles on the Vasiliev’s door, taking a step back to wait for Villanelle. The warm wind blew her hair and it kinda made her think that the world was feeling melancholic too. She really couldn’t help but think, the wind was colder than it had been a few weeks ago, the Summer was ending and with it her time at home. Fortunately, she wasn’t allowed to dwell for too long.

“Eve!” Elizabeta said happily, ushering her in, muttering about letting the cold air out “I’ll let you know who know you’re here”

“Thank you Mrs. V”

“How many times Eve?” the older woman asked exasperatedly

“At least one more Mrs. V” Eve answered smiling.

Elizabeta smiled at her, hip-checking her towards the kitchen where Irina is sitting on the kitchen isle, notebooks and workbooks spread out in front of her.

“Hey kid”

“What’s up Eve” Irina answered, hardly lifting her head from her paper. It gave Eve some vivid memories of herself, little over a year ago, when Niko, Gemma, Bill and her would sit for hours studying for their SAT’s and AP exams. How quick everything changed now that she didn’t have to worry about getting  _ into _ college. Now she only had to worry about surviving it.

“What’s your score?”

“I don’t want to talk about it” Irina murmured, muffled by the pen cap in her mouth “heard ‘ya picked a school”

“V told you?”

“Only you Eve. I look good in crimson by the way” Irina raised her head, flashing her a smile that must run in the family “If you want to get me some merch for good luck?”

“What about V’s merch?”

Irina scoffed, rolling her eyes “please. Only Villanelle can pull of that purple”

Eve chuckled, but before responding, Villanelle came sauntering into the kitchen. Other people might think Eve was a bit too much, but she really couldn’t help but lose her breath a bit every time Villanelle came into the room. It had also been a year since Villanelle spilled a milkshake on her, and the rest really was history. 

Honestly, Eve was not a poet, or she’d have better words to describe the feeling of her heart somersaulting in her chest when Villanelle is in proximity. But she’s not, and she doesn’t really need the words, she knows Villanelle can read her face enough to tell what her feelings are. 

“Hi” Eve whispered when Villanelle eventually reached her spot near the kitchen counter.

“Hello yourself,” Villanelle whispered back, wrapping her arms around Eve’s waist and dropping her head down enough to put their foreheads together.

“My god, get a room” Irina said, her eyes staring at the vocabulary list in front of her “maybe not a room in this house though. At least not while I’m here”

“I hate you” Villanelle says back, rolling her eyes at her cousin “ready to go?”

“Promise not to spill on me this time?”

“Oh my god, do you want to walk down memory lane by yourself?” Villanelle said, rolling her eyes at Eve “honestly, you spill a milkshake  _ once _ …”

Eve raised her hands to Villanelle’s face, drawing her attention back. Villanelle frowned at her, making it easier for Eve to scrunch her cheeks to make her pout.

“You’re so sensitive” Eve tip-toed, kissing her pouting girlfriend who really can’t help but smile widely at her--when Eve lets go of her face anyways “yes, I am ready to go, i know you won’t spill. I love you. Let’s go”

“Get a room” this time, it’s Konstantin who walks past them, holding a mug of coffee in one hand and a glass of wine in the other “but not your room here”

“That’s what I said!”

“Alright, enough, I can tell when I’m not wanted” Villanelle answered. She makes a point to drop a noisy kiss on Irina’s head and one on Konstantin’s before she leaves. Both scrunch up their faces at her retreating back “i’ll see you all, don’t wait up”

-KE-

Eve watched the road zip by as they sped down the highway, her legs crossed under her, one hand scrolling through the music library and one holding Villanelle’s hand. She would miss this too. From the first time they locked hands, Eve knew she would never be this comfortable anywhere else, this at home.

“Penny for your thoughts, E?”

Eve turned her body to look at Villanelle. Although she had her eyes trained on the road, one hand on the wheel and one hand holding Eve’s, she obviously had her attention on Eve. 

“I love you” Eve whispered at her

“I love you too” Villanelle said back, “I didn’t think that would make you make  _ that _ face though”

“What face?” Eve asked defensively

“ _ That face _ ” Villanelle said, frowning a bit, biting the inside of her lip and scrunching up her nose to demonstrate.

“I really love you,” and it really wasn’t fair that she had this power over Villanelle. That this amazing girl would just light up like the freaking sun and let her have so much control over her happiness “i’m really going to miss you”

“I thought we weren’t going to talk about that today?” Villanelle’s smile dimmed slightly, making sure to readjust her hand so her thumb could make small circles on the back of her hand.

“We’re not!” Eve exclaimed “but you asked”

“Right” Villanelle murmured, rolling her eyes “for what it’s worth, I’ll miss you too”

They’d always known college was right around the corner, and honestly they had it better than most. They were some four hours away from each other, they would still go home for the holidays, but it still wouldn’t be the same. 

“Hey” Villanelle pulled over to the road so she could give Eve her undivided attention “it’s only four years, we’ll be fine” Eve realized she was crying when Villanelle reached up to wipe a stray tear from her cheek “I will love you in a year, in two, in eighty”

“You’re a moron” Eve’s voice had no bite though, because her eyes were looking at V with so much love it would be shameful if they had any company. 

“I’m your moron” Villanelle answered “plus, my girlfriend is going to Harvard? I can’t let you go, I need to brag”

Eve snorted a bit when she tried to laugh, and Villanelle’s smile grew even bigger at the sight of Eve brightening up. Eve smiled so much around her, it almost wasn’t fair that she had this much power to make her so happy. 

Villanelle is not a goddamn poet, and even though she speaks multiple languages there’s not enough words in any language to explain what her heart does every time she lays eyes on her. Villanelle is not a poet, she can’t even live up to the meaning of her chosen name, but she knows that Eve’s smile is its own work of art, its own literature classic, and she’s going to miss seeing it everyday. 

“Hey, I lost you there for a minute”

“No, you really didn’t” the gear stick hurts Villanelle as she reaches across the console, but she doesn’t really care. She doesn’t care because Eve is right there, her eyes are bright, some of her hairs are breaking free from the bun she keeps having to redo--she looks like a beautiful angel, and she feels like she might die if she doesn’t kiss her right here and right now.

“Ready to go?” Villanelle says, her voice a bit hoarse with emotion

“Hmm...give me a minute to find the switch to my brain” Eve answers, her eyes still closed. Villanelle can’t help but feel proud of herself. 

-KE-

Villanelle’s car rolls down Eve’s neighborhood quietly, for once. Maybe because it’s ridiculously late, maybe because both Villanelle and Eve are too tired to gun it down the road. Either way, by the time they roll up to the Park’s house where all the lights are off, both girls are ready to drop where they stand. 

“Home sweet home, my love”

Eve tilts her head towards Villanelle, too tired to even raise it off the seat. She smiles as Villanelle kisses her knuckles, a sleepy look on her face.

“Come with” Eve says. Villanelle squints at her suspiciously, though it might be more sleepiness “you’re too tired to drive right now, come on”

Villanelle wants to protest, but her eyes started dropping when they got off the highway and she really doesn’t think she’ll make it the 10 minutes to her house--hell, she might not even make the 2 minutes to Eve’s room. 

Eve and Villanelle enter the house quietly. They were lucky that Eve’s parents thought they were staying at Villanelle’s. Romantic fool that Villanelle is, however, they decided that their high school romance had been marked by Villanelle sneaking up the tree through Eve’s window and here is where the new step of their journey will start too. 

“Wait” villanelle whispers when they reach the bottom of the stairs.

She retreats through the house, and Eve realizes what she’s doing when she hears the fridge open and then close. Villanelle reappears in the dark, holding a cup of chocolate pudding in her hand.

“Seriously?”

“Your dad gets the really good pudding. I am  _ not _ sorry”

Eve rolls her eyes at her girlfriend, and then leads the way up the steps, making sure to avoid the squeaky floorboard, and opening the door fast enough to keep it from squeaking loudly.

Villanelle hopped on the bed when Eve closed the door, making sure to tuck the rug under the door crack as always. The only light in the room was coming through the window from the light pole outside, just enough to let them see each other, but also enough to crowd everything else in darkness. Both Eve and Villanelle thought the other was the most beautiful person they’d ever seen. 

“Still tired?” Eve asks, gnawing her lip as she looks at her girlfriend.

Villanelle, who had essentially cleaned out her pudding cup on the way to the room, put it on the table. Instead of answering Eve with words, she reached down to pull her--actually Eve’s--sweatshirt off.

Yeah, words were overrated.

-KE-

“ **WHAT THE HELL?!”**

The girls were startled awake by Eve’s dad barrelling up the steps in the morning. The two girls looked at eachother wide eyed, sheets covering their chests, hair wild and with an air of sleepy disrepair between them.

“I am going to die”

Daniel Park busted through the door, fuming. What the girls weren’t expecting was the empty pudding sleeve in his hand.

“YOU!” he points at Villanelle with the sleeve accusingly “YOU ate MY last pudding and had the GUILE to leave the empty sleeve in the fridge?!”

Villanelle opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water, already so resigned to Eve’s father killing her that her brain is still in shock.

“Daddy what…”

“I am talking to the pudding thief, Eve!” Eve’s dad taps his foot on the floor, waiting for an answer.

“Sir...I...You…”

“Villanelle I am not a moron” Daniel interrupts “I’ve always known you sneak in here. You would make a shit spy by the way--you’re very bad at being quiet” he gestures vaguely at the window, leaving both Villanelle and Eve in more shock “what I cannot tolerate is you stealing my snacks!”

“Dad!”

“Eve, honey. It’s the twenty-first century and you are old enough to make your own choices about your body. I am not the virginity police” again, he gestures vaguely though at the bed this time, Villanelle and Eve both bright red in the face “but this is MY pudding” 

Villanelle couldn’t help but release some nervous laughter. Laughter that dies quickly when Mr. Park shoots her a death glare.

“Daniel, leave the girls alone” Sandra interrupts her husband’s intimidation tactics, taking the pudding sleeve from his hand “Good morning girls, breakfast? Don’t forget we have to hit the road by noon”

Mr. Park scoffs, points two fingers at Villanelle in a ‘I’m watching you’ gesture, and turns on his heel to follow his wife.

“What the fuck just happened?”

Eve drops back on the bed, arm covering her eyes as she laughs. At Villanelle, at her dad, at their situation, honestly, at everything.

“Eve, I am serious, what the fuck”

Villanelle quickly loses her own battle with the giggles and drops next to a chuckling Eve. Her eyes crinkling at the corners.

“You really would make a shit spy”

“But I am a great pudding thief”

“And yet, you couldn’t throw out the sleeve”

“Bite me”

Eve begins to laugh again, closing her eyes and enjoying the small moment with Villanelle before they have to face the music. But, a she hears Villanelle’s laughter next to her, she knows they’re going to be okay. 


	6. Smokey Bars Were Made For 'How Bout a Dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, thank you so much for the awesome response you've given this weird story of mine. We're in the home stretch, one maybe two chapters more. There's some angst stuff here but all ends well, I promise. 
> 
> Stay safe in these weird times, I'll see you in the next one!

**Smokey Bars Were Made for ‘how Bout a Dance**

“Long day?”

Villanelle shook herself out of her stupor to look at the bartender who had been trying to get her attention for a while. He looked down at her now empty glass and wiggled the bottle in his hand. Honestly, she didn’t even care what was in it. 

“Yeah, you can say that” Villanelle whispered, downing the contents of the shot glass in one gulp. Her face quickly scrunched up in disgust “what was in that?!”

“You don’t wanna know” the bartender answered grinning widely. He refilled her cup from the same colorful bottle, and pushed it back towards Villanelle “so, classically people in my profession get paid to listen, so what’s up?”

Villanelle stared at the glass on the counter, the music from the jukebox was thundering through her head and her slowly building headache was only making her hazy vision more blurry around the edges--honestly what could be worse than telling her sorrows to the local bartender, there could be less cliche things. 

“Okay. Well, I was going to propose to my girlfriend today”

The bartender whistled low in response “that’s big”

Villanelle scoffed, yeah it had been pretty big. It had been a freaking ordeal.

-KE-

First, she had to travel back home, making sure that Eve never heard a whisper about it.

Taking the red eye from New York had been the easy part, asking her professors to let her skip class was even plenty easy once they knew what she had planned, avoiding the familiar faces in their town, who’d grown used to seeing Eve and Villanelle together was a bit harder, even at 2 in the morning people who knew her seemed to have a chip for mischief, but she managed. 

“V, why are you home?” Elizabeta asked, tilting her head over the back of the couch to look at her niece, “if this is your way of telling us that you got kicked out of college, you could’ve just called, or sent a text”

“That’s much too subtle for our little Katyusha” Konstantin interjected, returning from the kitchen holding two glasses of wine “I hope you learnt enough to hide the body and clean the scene”

“Haha, very funny. Both of you should be comedians” Villanelle rolled her eyes at the adults, pacing towards the armrest near her “no, I didn’t get kicked out, and I haven’t killed anyone yet”

“ _ Yet _ ” Kontantin murmured “so, to what do we owe the pleasure”

“Right, okay” 

Suddenly, Villanelle could feel her palms getting clammy and cold sweat dripping down her back. The anxiety of getting home to begin with had done a great job of distracting her from the anxiety of the life choice she was about to make. She began imagining a lot of different scenarios in which this would go wrong, everything started looking a little dark around her. 

“Villanelle?” 

She snapped back to attention towards the couch, where her aunt and uncle were looking at her with worry tinging their eyes.

“Okay, here goes. I’m going to ask Eve to marry me”

“Okay?”

“What do you mean okay?!” her voice pitched up incredulously

“We’ve always known you two would get married, honey” Elizabeta answered, elbowing Konstantin as she spoke, trying to keep him from laughing at Villanelle’s face “everyone could always tell how much you love her”

Villanelle continued staring at her aunt like a fish out of water, though she was slightly glad that her feelings were quite so obvious to everyone. 

“Please, don’t look at Eve like that when you ask her” Konstantin scoffed at her, though with a smile on his face “matter of fact, we’ve known for so long that we got this for you”

Villanelle looked down towards the little black velvet box that her uncle pulled out of the coffee table. With shaking hands, Villanelle cracked open the box. In the box sat a ring--a thin silver band with a bright sapphire flanked by small diamonds that twinkled in the light of the living room. 

“Is this--”

“Babushka was very happy to give her favorite little firecracker the family’s engagement ring”

Konstantin smacked his hand down on Villanelle’s shoulder, jostling her out of her misty eyed moment and nearly making her drop the velvet box. 

“Thank you” she whispered hoarsely at them, slightly overcome with the emotion of the moment.

“Thank nana, she may be 90 but she will fly here and beat you with her walker if you don’t call her more often”

Villanelle laughed in agreement while drying the stray tears from her face. And feeling a bit foolish about her anxiety, she really should know better sometimes. 

-KE-

“That was really awesome”

“Yeah, baba is amazing”

The bartender passed her yet another questionable shot, not giving Villanelle more time to think about her feelings on everything that had happened in the last few weeks, never mind the last 24 hours. 

“So, grandma’s ring--I hope you called her?”

“Oh absolutely, baba don’t play” Villanelle said, putting her glass down with a sour look on her face.

“So…”

“Right--So. I had to ask her parents next”

-KE-

It took a lot of convincing to get Villanelle to wait until morning to go to the Parks’ home. Elizabeta made a great point that, if Villanelle showed up there at this unholy hour, Mr. Park would be more likely to throw her down a pit like Buffalo Bill, and Mrs. Park would certainly let him get away with it. 

Next morning, Villanelle nervously wiped the sweat off the palms of her hands as she paced up and down the Parks’ porch, psyching herself up to knock.

“Okay Villanelle, you got this” she whispered to herself, repeating the same words she had been telling herself since she left New York “it’s easy, just ask your girlfriend’s parents if you can  _ pretty please _ marry their daughter because she’s the love of your life” she inhaled nervously, raising her hand to rap her knuckles against the door “no biggie”

“Maybe don’t say  _ pretty please _ ?”

One day, Villanelle would be proud and impressed with herself with how much air she got when Daniel Park walked up to her. She might also be horrified at getting caught off-guard in such a moment. For now though, she was more worried about the conversation she was about to have.

“I...you know it’s not nice to sneak up on people like that?”

“You’re standing on  _ my _ porch, Miss Astankova” Daniel answered “Now, anything you want to ask me?”

Villanelle groaned, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms “can we skipped to the part where you already know, which you do, and you give me an answer?”

“Oh honey, you’re not new here” Villanelle was startled this time by the sudden appearance of Sandra Park, who was holding a jar of lemonade and some cups “now, sit”

Villanelle let herself be herded to the porch swing. Once they were comfortably seated (see: squeezed in the impossibly small swing), Villanelle took a deep breath to steal herself and ask the life changing question. 

-KE-

“Her parents seem like really cool people”

“They’re great” Villanelle dropped her chin onto her crossed hands as she spoke “they have to be, to have raised the love of my life”

“Aw, that’s gay”

“So gay” Villanelle chirped back with a small smile “So, I did the foot work, I thanked nana, and then I hit the wall”

“You got stage fright?”

“Not exactly”

-KE-

The last few months of Eve’s undergraduate education were, as Villanelle would eloquently put it, a shit-show. Between applying for graduate school, trying to write her honors thesis and her flailing mental health (and recently acquired friendship with anxiety), she had really been struggling. That was not to say that Villanelle didn’t struggle. NYU was no less rigorous, and no one in their right mind would think to double major in Romance Languages  _ and  _ computer science, but she did anyways. Out of stubbornness maybe, or because switching her path would require too much paperwork, she decided that having some declining mental faculties was worth one less trip to her advisor’s.

All the tension and the stress, coupled with the hardship of a long distance relationship finally wound a boiling point when Villanelle visited Eve in Cambridge. 

“Eve, honey, it’s past your ‘no more studying’ time” Villanelle shouted from the kitchen, carefully balancing 3 plates and a mug while avoiding her own shoes that Eve told her to pick up earlier, “Eve?”

“Shut up”

The mood in the apartment quickly turned sour with Villanelle’s realization that Eve wasn’t kidding, and she didn’t tell her to shut up as a joke. She quickly abandoned her plan to single-handedly carry their take out dinner to Eve’s room. She slowly peeped her head in to see Eve’s tense pose, shoulders hunched over and rigid, hands white-knuckle gripping her pen. 

“Eve?”

“I said” Eve turned around in her chair, Villanelle couldn’t help but take a step back at the overwhelming emotion in her eyes “ _ shut up _ ”

“Okay” Villanelle took a tentative step forward, feeling like she had stepped into a fighting rink “I heard that, but I don’t understand what--”

“You just, show up here and distract me from my work” Eve sighed, her hand grasping her hair “look, I know you mean well V, but I can’t do this anymore”

“E you’re so close, just a couple of months and all this struggle will be worth it”

“I don’t mean this” Eve gestured vaguely at the textbooks on her desk “I mean this” this time, she pointed at herself and Villanelle “I can’t do this anymore” she whispered, her voice breaking.

Villanelle’s face must have set itself harshly into her famous ‘ _ murder, murder, murder _ ’ face, because Eve dropped her hands to her sides, thumb nervously circling the pad of her index finger. 

“Eve, I really thought you were braver than this” Villanelle tilted her head a bit to the side as she spoke, trying to soften her hardened appearance “I know you’re overwhelmed, and that the world is too much but--”

“Please stop” Eve pleaded at her “I can’t do this with you” she rubbed her face with one hand, the other gripping the hem of her sweater tightly “I can’t do this now, or later, I can’t” 

Villanelle took another step forward. She flinched when Eve took a step back to keep the distance between them, the back of her legs bumping into the desk.

“Please, please just--just go”

-KE-

“That is rough, buddy”

“No kidding, prince Zuko” Villanelle said back, using her sleeve to wipe a tear from her face while her other hand reached for the drink that the bartender was offering her, slightly unaccustomed to the bigger glass he was pushing towards her. 

“So, she broke up with you the same night you were going to ask her to marry you”

“Yup” Villanelle answered, making sure to really pop the ‘p’ “and she asked me to leave her house too. I took the first flight out, and here I am. $250 bucks poorer, my baba’s ring burning a hole in my pocket, and looking forward to a wicked hangover tomorrow, by drowning my sorrows in this god awful sludge you keep giving me”.

“Ah, my bread and butter”

“Here here” the other bartender on shift exclaimed as he scooted behind Villanelle’s new friend to reach the beer taps. 

“So, what’s next?”

“I don’t know” Villanelle groaned annoyed “right now, that question is just as bad as ‘ _ so, what do you want to do after college? _ ’”

“Oh yes, existential dread” he said knowingly

“Yup” she answered once more popping the ‘p’ “all I know is that the love of my life said she couldn’t be with me anymore and I am too sober to deal with that”

Her new bartender friend hummed to himself to let her know he understood what she was putting down. He dropped one more tall glass full of some suspiciously colorful drink (and a cup of water next to it, just in case) before walking off to give her some space. She let the existential dread hit her again, loud words bouncing around her head: they had been so close, they’d stolen moments and weekends, and holidays for four years. Just when their future came knocking everything crumbled into pieces. Next to her disastrous senior year ethics review that had hounded Villanelle for weeks, this was just the killer cherry on top of the shit cake that was her life at the moment. 

Villanelle looked up to spot her bartender buddy, who was pouring shorts in front of a crowd of rowdy women wearing “I’m with the bride” t-shirts. He looked as miserable as she felt, and she wouldn’t be surprised if he took a swig of the bottle when he turned away from the women. Well, if the girl twirling her hair and batting her eyes at him didn’t offer a shot, or 20, first. The thought of having to do that in the future, hitting on overworked bartenders or random women? God, Villanelle had been in love with Eve for so long that the thought of trying to love anyone else went down like a pound of lead. 

“That is going to get warm and you’re not gonna drink it then”

“I’m not even sure if I wanna drink it cold either” Villanelle slurred back, grimacing as the drink went down. He was right, it was no good war. She was right too, it probably wasn’t that good cold either. 

“Maybe” the bartender answered with a smirk “there’s nothing like battery acid to mend a broken heart” he winked at her as he twirled away with a bottle of tequila in one hand, fireball and something else evil in the other. 

The music around her cranked up as the party-hardy ladies decided to try square dancing to a country song, though Villanelle did note that they lacked the rhythm or the dancing skills. Regardless, everything could always be worse. Villanelle began humming the soft melody that was blaring around her, at least for today she had loud music and questionable alcohol. 

“A poor man’s replacement” Villanelle said to herself as the chorus of the song ended and the next verse began. Something about smokey bars, the irony really didn’t expect her.

“This seat taken?”

Villanelle nearly fell off her chair in an attempt to turn around. In hindsight, the fall would help, it would jostle her brain back to reality, since there could only be one in a trillion chances that Eve Park was actually standing behind her.

“Smooth, V”

To any outsider, the scene would probably look like two women who’d just gone through a break up and were looking for the nearest vulnerable rebound. For the bartender, who had listened to the whole sob dog-and-pony show, this looked like every Hallmark movie he had ever been forced to watch. And like hell was he going to miss it.

“Cover me”

“You have the cowgirl bachelorette extravaganza going on--that’s big tips”

“Please” the bartender begged, making puppy eyes at his shift mate “I’ll buy you dinner?”

“Ugh” the second bartender turned to look at the dancing women who were screaming about more shots, he turned back towards the other man scowling “you can buy me breakfast tomorrow. Let me know what happens with the L-word over there”

The second bartender dropped two colorful and just as awful smelling drinks in front of Eve and Villanelle. Though, honestly? With the way they were taking turns between crying and kissing, it would be a minute until they realized the drinks were there.

-KE-

“I’m sorry--I, just, I snapped and…”

“I know, I get it. You’re so busy and I--”

“I know it’s not an excuse but…”

“Marry me” Villanelle screamed, stopping Eve in her tracks.

“What--V, be serious”

“I am being serious” Villanelle answered, holding Eve’s hands in her own, painfully aware that here was a ring in her pocket and they were in a loud, dingy bar, with a drunk soon-to-be bride and her friends chugging drinks next to them “I’ve been waiting for the perfect moment for months. In waiting, I let you and me slip through”.

Villanelle dropped to her knees, wobbling a bit in place as she patted herself down, looking for her grandmother’s ring. The people nearby who had lounged to help her up were now gasping as Villanelle put her right foot flat on the ground and raised the ring to Eve’s leg, tightly held in her hand, both to give her some balance and to anchor her courage.

“Ask that dude who’s been spying on me over there” Villanelle waved her chin up at the lurking bartender, trying to avoid wobbling again “I made a fool of myself asking your parents if I could marry you” Eve made a face at Villanelle through her shock, making her scoff, a bit self-depreciating “I know it’s the 21st century but I’m a romantic at heart, let me be” Eve laughed softly at her, as Villanelle tried to remember where in her proposal she was “I also made a fool of myself letting my family know that I wanted to spend my life with you, you know what they said to me?”

“What did they say?!” someone in the crowd screamed, making the girls painfully aware that when V dropped to her knees, the music had all but disappeared.

“Thank you, random citizen” Villanelle screamed back goodnaturedly “they said, they knew this was coming. No one was surprised, except for me. Because I didn’t think I deserved you, and that everyone knew it. Because you are an ass kicking soon-to-be Harvard graduate, and even though NYU is just as good you could do so much better” Villanelle scrunched up her nose, using her sleeve to clean up her tears “But the truth is, I do deserve you. I deserve to hold your hand when we build our future together. I deserve to sit quietly one day when we reflect on our journey, probably right before you tell me to pick up my shoes for the millionth time. I deserve you, Eve Park--and I want you to know that you deserve me too. You deserve happiness, you deserve every good thing the world has to give, you deserve an easy journey and a white picket fence at the end of it. And if you let me, I want to walk that road with you. Eve, will you marry me?”

-KE-

Villanelle grumbled as her head thudded on the kitchen isle counter. No more colorful suspicious drinks for her, she was starting to get old and her liver did not appreciate her drinking. 

“You look like shit”

A mug repeatedly bumped against her forehead, the smell of coffee wafting off every time it bumped her.

“That’s not nice”

“Neither was proposing to me in a dingy cowboy bar while shitfaced” Eve answered back, leaning against the counter to drink her own coffee “we’re  _ not _ telling our kids that is how it happened”

“Or that the cowgirl extravaganza next to us cried while saying ‘they’re lesbians, Harold’”

“Who even _was_ Harold?”

“Who cares about Harold?” Villanelle groaned as she lifted her head off the counter, bleary eyed and making grabby hands at the mug “you said yes, we can plan how to lie to our progeny and our family members later”

Eve smirked over the top of her mug, discreetly looking at the beautiful ring on her left hand. Yeah, the revised story could wait. The only thing that mattered right now was the blonde groaning about gravity being cruel to her coffee needs while trying to clean the coffee spill in front of her, and the road they had ahead of them. 


	7. Two Pink Lines Were Made for Growing Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I have a lot of apologies to make about this one.  
> I hit 11,111 words with the last chapter and I really didn't want to mess with the word count because it was really pretty! I also had some serious writers bloc, but I am very thankful for playoff hockey and, ironically, my job for giving me something to do so I could clear my mind and finally get to write this. 
> 
> Some news! Next chapter will actually be the last one for this fic. I had this perfectly parsed out for 8 chapters, so I am very excited to get to bring this full circle!
> 
> BTW if it helps any visuals, Tater is a golden doodle. 
> 
> On with it though! Thanks for stopping by, thank you so much for the awesome comments. See y'all in the next one.

**Two Pink Lines Were Made for Growing Up**

Eve rolled over in her bed, expecting to bump into Villanelle’s sleeping body. Her sleep addled-brain trying to gauge how much rolling over she was supposed to get to do before bumping her clean off the bed— _again_. It had only happened once, but Villanelle refused to let her forget it. So, she had become an expert at measuring her roll-overs.

When Eve’s face found Villanelle’s cold pillow, her head shot up in worry, eyes looking around taking inventory of the room. Villanelle’s jogging shoes were missing, and Eve noted the conspicuous absence of toenails clattering on the floor outside, which meant that Tater was also missing.

The sunlight streaming through the windows across the room, and the lack of noise from the neighbors meant it was probably seven or eight in the morning. On a Saturday. Eve needed to have a very serious conversation with her wife on her newfound love for early jogs.

_Her Wife._

Every once in a while Eve needed to take a second to think about being married. After leaving college they had jumped feet first into the adult world, luckily getting to break into it through some family connections and opportunities only opened to people with their expensive degrees—something they were painfully aware was special in their world. Eventually, Eve was offered the job of her dreams far from the city that they had learnt to love. Villanelle happily followed her, reminding her then fiancée that she could write from anywhere.

And now, fresh after a ridiculously elaborate wedding they had been unable to scale down (Konstantin and Mr. Park despaired at their wives taking up the part of Bridezilla instead of the actual brides), it was finally starting to settle that this was going to be her life. Waking up trying to guess the time by how cold the bed was and how much of Villanelle’s scent was left on her pillow. Planning how to avoid Tater’s squeaky toys on the way to the kitchen, where she knew a really strong coffee was waiting in the pot V liked to put out right before she went jogging; she was really looking forward to the rest of her life.

Eve shuffled down to the kitchen, sidestepping a squeaky bone and narrowly avoiding the rope toy Villanelle recently bought their overeager rescue dog. It made Eve smile, knowing that her wife could keep up with their maniacal dog. It made her hopeful for their future family, since kids, they had on good word, were apparently only slightly chiller than little Tater.

That is one thing that could possibly put a damper on Eve’s happiness this morning, as it had been for the past year. They were lucky, in a sense, that they got to try better and more treatments to get pregnant. But it was disheartening, to try and try so many times and still get negative results every time. They had agreed that V would carry their kids, since she could work more flexible hours and take it much easier at home. They followed all the instructions, even stuck with the superstitious beliefs of so many people around them, but it just was not happening for them. It was hard to be optimistic about it on a good day, but it was their best option. Thinking about their hypothetical future while Tater filled in for their future kids.

As promised by their predictable routine, a steaming pot of coffee was waiting for Eve in the coffee maker. It was fresh enough that the entire kitchen smelled like heaven in a pot.

Unlike everyday however, Eve’s mug was accompanied by a post-it note. Villanelle’s swooping handwriting scrawled in heavy black ink that told Eve she probably used her fancy inkwell pen that only came out on special occasions.

> _Thought I’d have you do something fun this morning._
> 
> _Look in Tater’s favorite spot_
> 
> _-V+T’_

Eve rolled her eyes at Villanelle’s antics, but still took her mug and shuffled towards V’s home office. Because Villanelle spent most of her time at home (and suffered from perpetually cold toes), Tater liked to hang out under her writing desk, like the world’s fluffiest space heater. Stuck to their dog’s favorite ball—minus the usual slobber—was another post-it, this time a nice baby blue.

> _‘ I can’t believe this actually worked._
> 
> _Our sofa is really comfy, you know?_
> 
> _Bring Tater’s ball with you_
> 
> _-V+T’_

Eve let an ungraceful snort of laughter out, thoroughly amused for the early hour. She grabbed the colorful tennis ball before standing, making time to complain about her knees cracking like a bag of chips.

The living room, as she anticipated, was deserted. However, the aforementioned couch had Villanelle’s favorite wool throw bunched up in the middle cushion, a bright purple note right on top of the mess, with the same swooping handwriting in heavy black ink. Although, Eve noted, the writing in this one seemed to have been scrawled on in a rush.

> _‘Our bed is more comfortable._
> 
> _Bring the blanket with,_
> 
> _Love you._
> 
> _-V+T’_

Fueled by the coffee she managed to finish during the scavenger hunt, and more than a little excited, Eve padded up the steps, conscious that the sounds she expected to hear were not coming from her room. Her wife and their crazy dog weren’t home, so what was waiting for her?

Eve cracked the door open, inevitably losing her cool at the sight of their 40lb rescue pup sporting bright green neon socks. In hindsight she would realize that this explained the lack of toenail clicking on the floor. On the bed, Villanelle was holding a little box with what Eve expected to be the last post-it note of the day, this time a white one with the swooping handwriting in black ink, a fun stark contrast.

“Woke up feeling adventurous?”

Villanelle smirked at Eve, extending the box in her hand

> _‘If you say I’m feeling adventurous_
> 
> _You owe Tater Tot a snack._
> 
> _Here’s to our biggest adventure yet_
> 
> _-T + T’_

Eve tilted her head slightly at the signature on the note. Before she could ask, Villanelle pushed the box a little more insistently into her hands, her usually playful smirk now sprinkled with anxiety, which effectively sent Eve’s heart into an anxious frenzy.

With shaking hands, Eve lifted the lid from the box. On the soft cotton-like padding was a stick that Eve immediately assumed was a thermometer, because of its shape. But honestly, Villanelle would not be this mysterious about a flu, no matter how prone to dramatics she was. Honestly, her wife would be more inclined to dramatically exclaim about the unfairness of the world and her upcoming death if given the chance. Eve took a second, closer, look.

Where the temperature reading would be in a digital thermometer, she saw one word in all capital letters, no numbers to be found. Biggest adventure was an understatement.

“V… Is this real?”

“Took it three times E” Villanelle answered, her voice already heavy with tears “we’re having a little Tater Tot”

“God” Eve laughed, one of her hands shooting up to try to stop the tears coming out of her eyes “please don’t call them that when they’re finally here”

At any other time that would have been a mortifying thought, to nickname their kid after the little potatoes they had named their dog for (granted, Tater really did look like a little potato when they found him). However, this time, kneeling on the bed, shaking hands holding the positive pregnancy test they had been waiting for anxiously after so much heartache and doubt, with the love of her life holding her hands, Eve sounded everything but mortified. There was a lightness to her voice, like a weight had come off her shoulders. Villanelle could almost feel it too, Eve could tell—she had not stopped smiling.

“E? Are you okay?” Villanelle whispered, scared of breaking their solemn moment.

“No” Eve answered, overcome with emotion again “you put socks on our dog to throw me off the scent, you _asshole_ ”

This time Villanelle did manage to laugh. Wholeheartedly, through her tears of happiness. Tater, who had been remarkably well behaved, wagging his tail at the foot of the bed, decided to jump between his moms excited to be part of the good news.

“He doesn’t know how to sneak around” Villanelle exclaimed, trying to tilt her chin up to keep her face out of the dog’s reach “the traitor would’ve given my plan away”

Eve grinned at her wife, reaching up to scratch Taters ears to distract him momentarily from his attempted assault on Villanelle’s face.

“Maybe. But you did nickname our baby Tater tot, I feel like you deserve some hardship”

Tater barked at the sound of his name, and Eve quickly realized that this wasn’t a joke. There really was a small baby growing inside of Villanelle, a baby they really had decided to liken to a little potato. This was actually happening.

“Yeah” Villanelle murmured, smiling softly at her wife “Yes I did” one of her hands, the one holding Eve’s hand, slipped down to her abdomen where, though not visible yet, their baby was growing.

“I love you” Eve said, following Villanelle’s hand to lay it flat against her tummy. God, this was really happening!.

“You’re just saying that because I’m carrying your baby” Villanelle said back, a watery smile a seemingly permanent fixture on her face.

“Can’t argue with you there” Eve agreed “but I suppose I will keep you, and the traitorous flea bag”

“You love us”

“Yeah” Eve answered, mirroring Villanelle’s earlier murmured answer “I do”

Eve laughed as Villanelle dragged her forward, discarding the little box with the pregnancy test that changed their lives, and disrupting Tater who knew his queue to take the forgotten tennis ball out of the room to let the future moms bask in their bliss. He would come back to enjoy their undivided attention later, somehow he knew to enjoy it while he could.

**Author's Note:**

> I appreciate any notes and screeching
> 
> Hmu on tumblr! TheIronDragonRants


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